Apparatus for sinking excavations for foundations, piers, columns, &amp;c.



F. J. 0E GARAYYF APPARATUS FOR SINKING EXCAVATIONS FOR FOUNDATIDNS, PIERS, COLUMNS, 610.

7 APPLICATION FILED AUG-H. 1916.

1,331,186. Patented Feb.17,1920.

% 1 2 SHEETSSHEET l- INVENTOIIQ.

By M 8M ATTORNESG FLJIDE GAR AY. a APPARATUS FOR SINKING EXCAVATIONSV FOR FOUNDATIONS, PIERS, COLUMNS, Km.

. APPLICATION FILED AUG-8, I916. 1,331,186.

v A s INVENTOR,

A TTORNEX;

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

I MA

wm-idmw Patented Feb. 17

,7) WW I I I 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS J. DE GARAY, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR SINKING EXCAVATIONS FOR FOUNDATIONS, PIERS, COLUMNS, &C.

Application filed August 8, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS J. DE GARAY, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Sinking Excavations for Foundations, Piers, Columns, &c., of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for sinking foundations, piers, columns, etc., by means of horizontal sheeting, and comprises sheeting members each provided with cleats near its two ends, one such cleat being set inward from the end of the corresponding sheeting member, the other projecting beyond the corresponding end of such sheeting member; and further comprises a sheeting member as above set forth, wherein the adjacent ends of the said cleats are beveled, for reasons hereinafter set forth. My invention further comprises a complete crib formed of sheeting elements such as above specified; and further comprises various other features as hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The objects of my invention are, to decrease the cost of excavation, particularly in soft earth or earth which tends to flow readily during the progress of the excavation; to decrease the time required for such excavation; to decrease the danger some-' times attendant upon such excavation; to facilitate the making of excavations which increase in width or length as the excavation proceeds downward; to facilitate the extension laterally of excavations from piers or the like, already set; to avoid the settling of loose earth into the excavation from openings provided, as hereinafter described, in the sides of the crib, or while excavating under the sides of the crib; to provide simple sheeting members, readily constructed at the point of use from relatively inexpensive material, and which moreover may be set readily by unskilled labor. Other objects of my invention will appear hereafter.

I will now proceed to describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate apparatus embodying my invention. In said drawings:

Figure 1 shows a perspective elevation of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 1'7, 1920.

Serial No. 113,714.

' invention, and constituting, collectively, a

crib.

Fig. 2 shows a perspective elevation of one sheeting element.

Fig. 3 shows a perspective elevation of a closure for the gap or opening between the cleats of that sheeting element.

Fig. 4 shows a top view of the sheeting element shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section of one wall of the crib as embedded in the earth, and illustrates the use of piling planks for supporting the earth outside of the sheeting, and also illustrates the filling of voids, etc., and the stiffening of the earth outside of the sheeting by means of mortar or cement.

Fig. 6 is a perspective elevation illustrating a concrete pier formed in an excavation, sunk by means of horizontal sheet piling of the construction previously described, the earth being broken away at one side of the pier to show the horizontal sheeting still surrounding such pier; and the figure further shows the excavation extended horizontally in one direction with the surrounding earth supported by further tiers of the sheeting.

Fig. 7 shows a central vertical section of an excavation which increases in width pro gressively downward, the walls of such excavation being supported by sheeting such as above describe Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7, illustrating an alternative arrangement.

In the drawings, numerals 1 designate elements of the horizontal sheeting. Without limiting myself to the use of planks for these elements, I find it convenient to construct them of planks, which usually are of two inches or thereabout in thickness. To the lower edge of each of these planks cleats 2 and 3 are secured, by any convenient means, such for example as spikes4. Cleat 2 is set inward from its corresponding end of plank 1 by a distance corresponding substantially to the thickness of the sheeting element which is to be abutted against that plank 1, as hereinafter described; and cleat 3 is set outward from the end of its corresponding plank 1 by a distance corresponding approximately to the thickness of the 6 ,aforinedas described cannot be, regular. ,The

' presently.

In the use of this sheeting, theexcavation is carried down at the desired point to a .depth sufiicient for the laying of thefirst c r i t she ng, a 1 TS is [then laid, completely; inclosing the. excavation. 7 In so laying the sheeting, each end. 1

,of eaeh sheeting element restsupon the extended portion of the,.cleat '3 of-another sheeting element abutted against it. "The excavation is then carried down further,at

first in the center, .or at least at some little distance from the sheeting already, laid, and

then, each memberof; the course of sheeting already; laid being connectedtemporarily to the other membersof that course by nails suitably driven, or by any other suitable supporting means, the excavation is carried out under ,one of the sheeting members 1 already set, preparatory to setting a corresponding sheeting member for the second course; and this member of the second course thenset, and, if required, suitably blocked vup, and; .then the excavation 1s carried under another sheeting member of the first course, preparatory to setting a corresponding sheeting element of the second coursethere under, and such second member is set; and

.50. off around the excavation, until finally-all of-the members of the second course have been set.

courses Iso set are secured together for. mu-

The .members of the several tual support by toe-nailing from the inside.

lnso setting the members of thesecond course, theextended cleats 3 of the members ofthe-second course areset oppositely to the members 3 of; the first course, as will be clearly apparent from Fig.1; that is: to say,

if, the membersl ofthe first.,course have been set with their ,cleatsS tothe right, the

members ofthe second course will be set ,xvith the corresponding cleats 3 to the left.

Theexcavation is then carried downward,

andatsuitable intervals further courses of the sheeting are laidm the samemanner, until the excavation is complete.

Because of the alternately opposite arrangementofthe sheeting elements of the several tiersas above described, 2'. 6., because of the sheeting elements of the several tiers beingsolaid that the extended cleats 3 of the, one tier extend in opposite directions to theextended-cleats 3 of the tier above. each course .ofthe sheeting supports, eflectively ,the, coursevabove.

.. Of a course .the walls of an excavation troduced through these openings 5, forming a stiffening layer 6 (Fig. 5). After such back filling has been acomplished it is usually desirable to close these openings 5,

and to that end closures 7 are introduced. Since the adjacent ends of the cleats 2 and 3 are beveled, as clearly shown in Figs, 2 and a, and since the ends of the closure 7 are correspondingly beveled, it is a simple matter to introduce these-closures, and to drive them into place, when driving is necessary; and when once in place they may be secured either by toe-nailing or by any other convenient manner. After three or more courses of the-horizontal sheeting have been set, as described, the sheetingis usually stiffened at the corners by means of so-called wall plates 8 (Fig. 1) held in place by toe-nailing or otherwise as convenient. I may further brace the crib in any other suitable manner and secure the several courses or tiers of the cribbing together in any suitable manner, and in general I do not limit myself to any particular means of attachment of the severallnembers of each course or tier, one to another, or to any particular means for attachment of different courses or tiers to one another, or to any particular means for bracing the cribbing.

lVhenv excavating in very loose earth, or in sand, there is a tendency (and particularly when the excavation has been carried to a considerable depth, so that there isconsiderable earth-pressure) for the earth to flow into the excavation through the openings 5, also to flow inwhen excavating under the sheeting alreadyset is being done. To prevent this, horizontal planks 9, termed piling members, are driven into the outside earth through the openings 5. These horizontal piling members effectively; support the earth, outside ofthe sheeting, and so prevent that earth from flowing in as described.

In general, after; an. excavation has been carried down as described, it will be filled, or

excavation laterally. For example, in the laying of foundations it is common first to sink piers, and then to excavate the earth between the piers and fill the intervening space with concrete or the like. Fig.- 6 shows a construction wherein a pier 10 has been formed by the filling of an excavation sunk as previously described; and indicates how the excavation may then be extended laterally. To do this, the earth is dug out in the direction in which the excavation is to be extended, and the sheeting elements which line the former excavation on the side on which the extension is to be made, are swung out or reset to form walls for one side of the extended excavation, other similar sheeting elements being set as above described, to form other walls for the extended excavation; and a brace, 11, is set across the excavation to form a spacing member for the sheeting elements at their ends which are adjacent to the pier. The excavation is carried down in the manner previously described, sheeting elements being swung out from the adjacent surface of the pier 10 as the excavation proceeds, and braces 11 being inserted at proper points.

It is often desired to broaden out or increase the width of an excavation, as the work proceeds. This my invention permits. The manner of doing this is illustrated particularly in Fig. 7. At the depth at which it is desired to broaden out the excavation, the sheeting elements are set out with respect to the sheeting elements just above. In some cases, and as illustrated in Fig. 7 it is better that there should be a slight overlap of each course of the sheeting with respect to the course beneath. But in many cases the character of the earth will permit setting out of each course of the sheeting somewhat beyond the course above, so that there is no such overlap. This is illustrated in Fig. 8.

By making it possible to broaden out the excavation as it goes down, as just described, I avoid the necessity of excess excavation. Heretofore, for the setting or forming of a pier or column with a broadened base, it has been necessary, generally, to excavate from the top for the full dimensions of the base at its broadest point, earth bei filled in around the pier or column, when ormed. My present invention avoids necessity for such excess excavation and subsequent filling in, by such simple means as the stepping out of the courses of the piling as laid.

What I claim is:

1. A sheeting element comprising a sheeting member having on its lower edge two projections, one of which is set in from the proximate end of said member, and the other of which is set out beyond the end of such member proximate thereto.

2. A sheeting element comprising a sheeting member having on its lower edge two projections, one of which is set in from the proximate end of said member, and the other of which is set out beyond the proximate end of such member approximate thereto, the ends of said projections which are nearest each other being beveled.

3. A crib comprising a plurality of courses, each course of which consists of a plurality of sheeting members each having at its lower edge projections whereby spaces are provided between the sheeting members of the several courses, the said projections of each course being set in at one corner and set out at another corner, whereby at each corner a sheeting member of one course rests upon the extended portion of the projection of another sheeting member of that course, the sheeting members of the several courses being laid oppositely to one another with respect to such projections.

4:. A crib comprising a plurality of courses, each course of which consists of a plurality of sheeting members each having at its lower edge projections whereby spaces are provided between the sheeting members of the several courses, the said projections of each course being set in at one corner and set out at another corner, whereby at each corner a sheeting member of one course rests upon the extended portion of the projection of another sheeting member of that course, the sheeting members of the several courses being laid oppositely to one another with respect to such projections, and closures for the openings between the courses.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANCIS J. DE GARAY.

-Witnesses:

H. M. MARBLE, PAUL H. F RANKE. 

